1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to personal organizers for electronically storing messages, reminders, phone numbers, addresses, and other such data, and more particularly to personal organizers which are voice activated.
2. History of the Prior Art
Many types of electronic personal organizers or "data banks" are presently available. Such organizers range from simple devices that allow for storage of phone numbers, addresses and appointments, to more complicated devices that approach the capabilities of small computers. All such devices require data to be entered using a keyboard. Simpler devices may use a calculator type keyboard, while more complex devices typically require a computer/typewriter type of keyboard.
In presently available electronic personal organizers, the user typically selects a function by pressing one or more keys on the keyboard. The user then enters data using the keyboard, usually filling out a predefined form for the function selected. For example, a phone directory entry typically requires the user to type the name of the person or organization to be added to the directory, in a specific field. The user then indicates by keystroke when the filling of the field is finished. The organizer then automatically moves to the next field, where the user inputs the phone number. This field may be further subdivided into area code and phone number. When entry of the information is finished, the user indicates by keypress that the entry is to be saved.
Retrieval of data is accomplished by similar keypress operations, in conventional electronic personal organizers. The user again begins by selecting the function, following which a search for the desired information is begun. In the case of the phone directory previously referred to, the user may simply scroll through the directory looking for the desired entry, with a single keypress being used to advance from one entry to the next. A more sophisticated search is often provided, by which the user may type the first letter (or perhaps more) of the name. This causes the directory to skip to the appropriate alphabetical region.
In conventional electronic personal organizers, a second type of data is often stored. Instead of being stored for later retrieval at the user's initiation, this data is interpreted by the organizer so as to ultimately cause the organizer to take a particular action at a later time, with no further action on the part of the user being required. For example, a time and date can be entered in a reminder function. The organizer keeps track of the time in order to automatically alert the user when the selected time arrives, with no user intervention being required. Thus, an alarm function is performed. Typically, a message is associated with the alarm function to provide the reminder with some context. The message as well as the alarm time are entered by keystrokes in a form similar to that described previously in connection with the phone directory example.
When using conventional electronic personal organizers in the manner described, the user must type in information using a small keypad. The keypad must be of minimum size in order for the keys to be usable. This conflicts with the need to make the organizer as small and portable as possible. Elimination of the need for a complete keypad for data input and retrieval would eliminate the need for compromise, allowing the organizer to be made small and portable and at the same time easily used. As previously noted, conventional electronic personal organizers typically require a computer/typewriter type keyboard for complete flexibility in entry of number data, such as phone numbers, times and dates, and text data, such as memos. This requires a certain level of skill on the user's part, and can be quite time consuming. Also, the large number of keys required results in the unit being relatively large.
For this reason, voice activation and other voice recognition techniques have provided a useful alternative to the need for elaborate user interfacing through use of a large keyboard, in certain electronic devices. Examples of voice activated electronic devices include remote controls which utilize sophisticated electronics to recognize spoken words, translate the commands of the user into traditional digital remote control signals, and transmit the control signals to a controlled device. Examples of such systems are provided by co-pending application Ser. No. 07/915,112 of Bissonnette et al., entitled Voice Operated Remote Control Device, by co-pending application Ser. No. 07/915,938 of Bissonnette et al., entitled Voice Recognition Apparatus and method, and by co-pending application Ser. No. 07/915,114 of Fischer, entitled Remote Control Device. All three applications were filed on Jul. 17, 1992 and are commonly assigned with the present application.
A further example of a voice operated remote control system is provided by co-pending application Ser. No. 08/113,394 of Fischer et al., entitled Voice Operated Remote Control System. The Fischer et al. application, which was filed Aug. 27, 1993 and which is commonly assigned with the present application, describes a system which includes a remote control device responsive to the voice commands of the user to transmit representations of the voice commands to a controlled device. The controlled device produces voice signals in response to the transmitted representations, and includes voice recognition circuitry for recognizing the transmitted voice commands and executing action routines denoted thereby.
Voice recognition techniques have also been applied to systems capable of performing organizer type functions. Typically, such systems are very large in size in order to accommodate the data storage and other functions. This severely limits their applicability to small, portable, hand-held applications. An example of such systems is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,317 of Kita et al., which describes recording and reproducing apparatus in which externally input voice commands stating an alarm time are converted into voice data for storage in a memory together with an associated message. When the alarm time is reached, the corresponding voice data stored in the memory is read out and audibly reproduced so as to sound the alarm time and play back the associated message.
The system described in Kita et al. is exemplary of extremely complex systems which are difficult and expensive to implement, and yet which are limited in terms of their flexibility in changing or correcting data and in terms of the functions which they otherwise can perform. Such systems typically carry out voice recognition and voice recording simultaneously, thereby requiring a substantial amount of hardware.
In addition to the large, elaborate, computer type systems such as that described in Kita et al., voice recognition techniques have been applied to smaller systems where the functions may be simpler and easier to perform in compact environments. An example of this is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,685 of van der Lely, which patent describes a calculator responsive to certain action words such as "add", "subtract", "multiply", and "divide". Other examples of such systems are provided by patents relating to automatic telephone dialers. Such patents include U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,107 of Clowes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,081 of Schmuckal et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,302 of Kaneuchi et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,622 of Iida et al.
In developing electronic personal organizers, it has become apparent that digital voice recording is a significantly easier and more natural method than text to input and store data. Furthermore, input data in the form of numbers, dates, times, and the like, can be handled in a more natural and simpler way by utilizing voice recognition technology. However, while such techniques greatly simplify use of the organizer, they do so at the expense of considerably greater complexity in the implementation of the organizer. This is a particular problem if the organizer is to be produced in a small, portable form. Thus, whereas a text memo typed into a conventional organizer using a keyboard will typically require 7 or 8 bits for each character, and a simple message such as "Call the office and speak with Bob" will typically require 238-272 bits, plus several additional "overhead" bits to keep the stored information organized, an organizer utilizing digital voice recording and voice recognition of data input will typically require 16,000-32,000 bits for proper storage of a sentence requiring only 1-2 seconds to speak. In addition to such storage requirements, there is the added requirement of providing the electronics for voice input and playback, including a microphone, a speaker, and appropriate amplifiers.
In such organizers utilizing voice recognition, there is the increased requirement of additional componentry for implementing the voice recognition process. There is also the need for sufficient processing power to enable a voice recognition algorithm to be run, and increased memory requirements both for the program memory, typically a ROM, for storage of the recognition algorithm and other parts of the organizer program, as well as a read-write type memory, typically a RAM, for storage of information pertaining to the voice of the user. At that, such added memory requirements are but a small fraction of the memory requirements for voice recording.
To make the implementation practical, the voice recognition requirements must be limited. The method of use should provide context for the recognition function, to allow for voice recognition with the limited processing power obtainable in a small, portable device. For example, requiring recognition during a continuous stream of speech on a few key words placed at varying points within the utterance would require a large, complex computer system.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electronic personal organizer capable of digitally storing reasonable amounts of message data, and facilitating the use thereof through appropriate voice recognition techniques. At the same time, such an organizer must be capable of implementation in a small, portable, hand-held package in order for it to be practical and to lend itself to large-scale use.